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His national and international policies – ranging from the attempted coup in the past to recent moves and warnings – weaken both national and global legal frameworks. However, the issue goes deeper.

These actions endanger the very concept of a civilized world.

The guiding principle of any advanced culture is to forestall the stronger from harming and taking advantage of the less powerful. Otherwise, we could find ourselves locked in a conflict of all against all where might makes right prevails.

This concept is central of the Declaration and Constitution. This is also the core of the modern framework of international relations advocated by the United States, which stresses collective action, democratic governance, fundamental freedoms, and the supremacy of law.

Yet, it is a fragile ideal, often broken by those who would exploit their authority. Preserving it demands that the influential have the moral fortitude to avoid seeking immediate gains, and that society demand responsibility when they fail.

Absolute power does not make right. It results in instability, chaos, and war.

Each instance people or corporations or countries that are richer and more powerful attack and exploit those that are less so, the framework of society frays. If these actions are left unchecked, the structure collapses. Allowing it to persist, the world can descend into disorder and conflict. History provides ample precedent.

We now inhabit a society and world grown vastly more unequal. Authority and resources are more concentrated than ever before. This creates conditions for the powerful to take advantage of the less fortunate because they perceive themselves as above the law.

The wealth of a small group of tycoons is difficult to fathom. The power of big tech, big oil, and large defense contractors extends over numerous countries. Artificial intelligence is poised to further concentrate economic and political clout to a greater degree. The destructive power of the major powers is unprecedented in recorded history.

Supported by a compliant faction and a pliant judicial body, the highest office has been made into the most dominant and unchecked instrument of the state in the modern era.

Consider this confluence and you see the threat.

A direct line ties earlier lawless actions to ongoing menaces. Both were premised on the overconfidence of absolute power.

There is much the same in international affairs: in territorial invasions, in expansive ambitions, and in the worldwide exploitation by massive conglomerates.

However, strength without restraint does not create right. It produces fragility, revolution, and bloodshed.

Historical evidence demonstrates that rules and conventions to check the powerful also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for increased control and resources eventually bring them down – taking down their enterprises, countries, or domains. And pave the way for international catastrophe.

Such lawlessness will plague America and the global community – and the very idea of a rules-based order – for a long time.